Morse Institute will highlight leadership research and development

Western Washington University has launched a new campus institute devoted to the teaching and understanding of leadership.

The Karen W. Morse Institute for Leadership, named in honor of WWU President Emeritus Karen Morse, “will be a magnet for exploration and innovation in teaching, and conducting scholarship in this important field,” says President Bruce Shepard.

Funded with a total of $1.9 million in philanthropic support, the institute will also help prepare students to exercise responsible leadership in their careers and communities, he says.

The new institute will tie in with WWU’s Leadership Advantage program, a comprehensive campus-wide program designed to provide students a variety of leadership development opportunities.

A $1 million gift from Jack and Jo Ann Bowman, the largest single gift from a living donor in Western’s history, helped establish the institute. The couple’s gift also fully endows the Bowman Family Distinguished Professor of Leadership Studies.

The institute also received major funding from David and Denise Cole and Rick and Sylvia Haggen.